Dr. Robert J. Lifton and the late Dr. Margaret Singer studied thought reform of American prisoners from the Korean War (POWs). American soldiers returned from prison camps with unusual worldviews, spoken verbatim. Through many interviews, Lifton and Singer documented skilled mind-control methods from these wartime captors, while helping the “brainwashed” POWs reclaim their own personas. The 1962 film “Manchurian Candidate” with Frank Sinatra offers a fictitious glimpse into this chillingly real process. (2)

From his work with thought reform victims, Dr. Lifton itemized “Criteria for Thought Reform” commonly accepted in psychology academia. Other psychologists, Singer, Langone, and Lalich, describe variations of the same criteria. This essay follows a condensed version of Lifton’s classic “Criteria of Thought Reform”, demonstrating how criteria apply to the lifestyle and teachings promoted by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Transcendental Meditation™ (TM) Movement.

“Any ideology -- that is, any set of emotionally-charged convictions about men and his relationship to the natural or supernatural world -- may be carried by its adherents in a totalistic direction. But this is most likely to occur with those ideologies which are most sweeping in their content and most ambitious or messianic in their claim, whether a religious or political organization. And where totalism exists, a religion, or a political movement becomes little more than an exclusive cult.” (3)

The following eight psychological themes may be used in judgment of any environment, to evaluate the use of mind-altering techniques.

“In combination, they create an atmosphere which may temporarily energize or exhilarate, but which at the same time pose a grave human threat.” (4)

The benign appearance of the methods, temporary exhilaration or “high”, and innocuous presentation of individuals while under-the-influence can render determination challenging for both professionals and laypersons. The psychological threat is real, nonetheless.

MILIEU CONTROLLifton describes control over communication within an environment. “When control is extremely intense, it becomes internalized control, managing a person’s inner communication.” (5)

TM programs apply various forms of control. The first stage of communication control begins with instruction or “Initiation” to TM when the new Initiate is gently instructed, “never speak the mantra aloud.” While the instructor explains that speaking the mantra would bring it to the crude level of speech, in reality the new initiate is gently trained to keep secrets “for his or her own good.”

Environmental control is exercised through mandated silence in the meditation domes, or enforced weeks of group silence on advanced courses. The monastic branches of TM, “Mother Divine” and “Purusha”, maintain a tightly controlled schedule for their participants. (6)

Information control includes Maharishi’s insistence that adherents watch edited version of televised news, permitting only ‘good news’ for course participants. Course participants are taught their meditation creates environmental influence “for world peace” thus increasing global good news. They are taught that exposure to “negativity” from bad news would taint pure consciousness, hindering their spiritual evolution. In this way, participants gently learn to ignore bad news and uncomfortable information.

The person-under-the-influence (or thought reform victim) then negates uncomfortable information as it stems from “negativity” or from “ignorance.” To squelch anxiety from threatening ideas, the victim may return to patterned responses and behaviors or attack in irrational defensiveness. This was clearly illustrated in the “Manchurian Candidate.”

Additionally, Maharishi bombards course participants with advanced TM “knowledge” recordings. Repetitions of the same information do not create understanding, but merely listener acceptance. Maharishi drones the same information again and again. The listener’s mind relaxes and “absorbs the knowledge” without question. With repeated exposure, this can conflict with individual autonomy as a person may relinquish critical analysis.

Environment control is further exhibited through controlled Vastu architecture. The TM Movement is building “Peace Palaces” around the world, architecturally designed to Maharishi Sthapatya-VedTM specifications. This unique milieu is different from other building environments, but each Peace Palace will resemble all other such palaces in the world. This supports an inner dissociation from the outside world for those residing within “palace” confines.

“Often a sequence of events, such as seminars, lectures, group encounters, which become increasingly intense and increasingly isolated, making it extremely difficult-- both physically and psychologically--for one to leave. (This) sets up a sense of antagonism with the outside world; it's "us against them”. (This is) Closely connected to the process of individual change of personality.” (7)

Environmental control is created in a variety of ways, through geographic distance – remember MIU’s original plan for remote “forest academies”? TM communities isolate themselves to varying degrees from larger surrounding communities. Group process supports isolation through the TM-course mandated buddy system, lack of transportation when participating in a rounding (prolonged meditation) course, regimented schedules on advanced programs, or in the new “Peace Palace” compounds.

Each of the aforementioned methods of control influence sensory perception and neural development. (8)

Analysis of Lifton’s remaining criteria as applied to Transcendental Meditation will follow in subsequent posts.

4 comments:

Anonymous
said...

To avoid misleading readers, you really should post prominently on the site the caveat that most of the negative stories you're telling apply only to those who chose to become heavily involved in the movement, and that it's entirely possible to learn TM, then go off on your own and practice it without ever having any contact with the movement again.

I wouldn't expect you to make this further clarification, but the fact is that most people who *do* become heavily involved in the movement do so only after having practiced TM on their own for some time. Having seen the benefits in their lives, they then *choose* to become involved because they think everyone should have a chance to obtain the same benefits.

In other words, simply taking the basic TM course by no means inevitably results in one's being coerced into the kind of heavy involvement you describe. Involvement is by individual choice, not coercion or "mind control," and it's typically motivated by one's own personal experience of the TM technique. There's no "love bombing" or group pressure. Indeed, people are sometimes disappointed to find that learning TM does not immediately provide them with a spiritual or even social community. They can find community in the TM movement if that's what they're looking for, but they have to choose to do so; it doesn't come packaged with instruction in TM.

Unfortunately these same traits mentioned by Gina are seen in people outside the TM establishment: so-called "TB" or "True Believer" syndrome. These traits are therefore not merely the province of the TM org, but often alarmingly visible in TMers totally removed from it!

For example it's not unusual to see TMers obsessively posting "pro-TM" rants FOR YEARS online on usenet and various email lists-despite very strong evidence against what they're are arguing for.

Several popular themes emerge from such obsesive-compulsive TM zealots (TMZ's):

--TM is unique (no one else has what they have)--TM is "effortless"--TM is not a religion--TM is "scientifically proven to work"

You are absolutely right!When explaining my TM-family/cult of origin to my current world, I compare it to coming from a family of alcoholics.There are the fine wine conosceurs one end of the spectrum - they practice TM twice daily and conduct normal lives, make indepent decisions, have their own hobbies, etc.

The other end of the spectrum includes those who relinquished the ability to function outside of a controlled TM-gestapo environment, or those who became pscyhotic or committed suicide.

And yes, many who left the movement still seem to have it inside of them. That is the programming.When I was in (specialized) therapy for this, I once asked "OK, I left the cult 15 years ago. But how do I get the cult out of me?!" I wanted pliers to enter my brain and remove the faulty programming that I continually bumped against.

Alcohol and Tobacco come with warning labels. TM lacks a warning label - it needs one!Some will succumb to the lure of hypnotic suggestion and group dynamics. Some will not.

The TB (true beliver) is a term invented by Eric Hoffer and is, obviously, the subject of his little book THE TRUE BELIEVER.

I watched Mahesh very carefully. I am very firmly convinced, on the basis of that observation, that he used the mind-numbing technique of rounding on TTC's (teacher training courses) to establish a mind state of true-believership. At the peak of rounding in Fiuggi and again in Mallorca and to a lesser extent in La Antilla, he told the assembled and somewhat addled teachers to be that "no one can love you as I can". He didn't say it once but he did say it in many, many different ways.

This is important, in my opinion, to take careful note of. "Rounding" was perhaps his most important technique, one we never even realized we were doing as a very special technique. It's obvious from many India courses that people got quite peculiar with lots of rounding. I think Mahesh purposefully used this technique to quite literally influence the way people thought of and about him and what he had to say.

In the very earliest TTC's in India, there didn't seem to be much meditation, as far as I have learned. He simply relied on his charm and fetching character to inscribe belief in himself on others.

It is an interesting avenue to explore. Perhaps people from early India courses will show up here and tell us what they remember and how clear the time of rounding was for them.

It was very clear for me, because I didn't like rounding, it made me feel malleable, I guess is the right word, useable. So I only did 2x2 as a max.

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